


A Home

by drleia



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-15
Updated: 2017-07-15
Packaged: 2018-12-02 15:55:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11512632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/drleia/pseuds/drleia
Summary: For the first time in years, he felt at home somewhere outside the confines of his quarters aboard the Falcon.





	A Home

**Author's Note:**

> "When the pain cuts you deep  
> When the night keeps you from sleeping  
> Just look and you will see  
> That I will be your remedy"  
> \- "Remedy" by: Adele

The night was calm.

The sky was dark except for the stars shining above them.

Everything felt right. Gone was the lingering fear of an attack, the fear that every breath they drew could be their last.

For the first time in years, he felt at home somewhere outside the confines of his quarters aboard the Falcon.

They laid in a makeshift hammock suspended between two trees. It was small, really only enough room for one person, but they'd made it work. She was pressed against his side, her leg thrown over one of his and an arm resting across his chest. His arm was around her, holding her tightly. He moved his hand over her braided hair, playing with it idly.

He looked down at her, tightening his hold on her at the sight of the tear tracks along her cheeks.

...

"Leia, look at me." Han said, raising his voice slightly.

Leia lifted her eyes to his, startled by the volume. She let out a shuddering breath and lifted a trembling hand to wipe the tears away from her eyes.

"It doesn't matter. You're not him. You're not anything like him."

"But I'm- !"

"It doesn't matter!" He repeated. "You're- you're...damn it, sweetheart, you're so good. This doesn't change that."

"How can you- how am I-" Her voice wavered and she shook her head. "How can you...how am I supposed to- to show my face? After everything he did. He hurt so many people...he killed people, he-"

"He hurt you too." Han reminded her. "He did those things. Not you."

"I can't...I can't believe he let them- He let his daughter- How can I be the daughter of that...that monster?"

"We don't get to pick our parents."

She didn't say anything. A light breeze blew her hair across her face and into his as well. She reached up to brush it away, grimacing as it stuck to her damp cheeks.

When another gust of wind sent the long strands flying again, he gathered it up in his hand and held it back. "Want me to braid it?"

A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth and she nodded. Han shifted back so that she could settle between his legs. She sighed softly, closing her eyes as his hands moved slowly through her hair.

"I'm gettin' real good at this, Your Highness." He told her.

She smiled, her eyes still closed. He wasn't. Not at all. She could feel that the braid was lopsided; it was so loose that she knew it'd fall out if she moved her head too much.

She hummed softly. "If you say so, hotshot."

"I am. You should see this thing. You couldn't even do something this nice."

Leia shook her head just slightly, causing the braid to fall apart immediately. She looked over her shoulder at Han and couldn't help but laugh at the look of frustration on his face.

"Hey!"

Leia grinned at him, pulling her hair forward. She ran her fingers through it quickly to make sure there weren't any lingering knots as a result of Han's handiwork. With quick fingers, she wove her hair into a simple braid that fell over her shoulder and down her chest before securing the end with a rubber band.

"How do you do that so fast?"

"Years of practice."

He carefully pulled the braid back over her shoulder to him, running his fingers over it.

She watched him, watched the way his hands held her with reverence. "This really doesn't change anything between us?" Leia asked after a moment.

"You really think this could send me running?"

She shrugged. "I wouldn't blame you."

"I stuck around your little Rebellion for years. I lived on that giant ice cube of a planet for three years. I ain't leavin' now."

Leia smiled, tears still threatening to fall. She turned around and touched his cheek before leaning forward to kiss him softly. "I love you."

"I know." He smiled. "I love you too."

...

They'd settled comfortably the hammock after that, a comfortable silence falling over them. He listened to the sound of crickets chirping as her breathing evened out. Her eyes fluttered closed and she eventually fell into a peaceful sleep beside him.

He watched her for a few moments, watched her chest rise and fall, watched the way her fingers curled around the fabric of his shirt every few moments. He'd discovered that about her the first night they'd slept together- how much she loved to cuddle in her sleep. Every night spent together, he woke up to her body half on top of his.

He couldn't believe that she thought anything could change between them. How could she think that Vader could make him think any less of her. After all they'd been through, after all the words and the love that they'd shared, he wasn't sure anything could make him leave her.

He wasn't necessarily sure that that was a good thing- the blind love he had for her, but he didn't care. He'd spent years roaming the galaxy, years on his own. She'd come into his life and given him something he hadn't even known he was missing. Friends, family, something to believe in- the Rebellion, them.

She'd given him a home.

She stirred beside him, curling against his side even more. He smiled to himself and tightened his arms around her. After placing a kiss to the top of her head, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep with her.


End file.
